Functional Exercise

Functional exercise is a term used to describe exercises that help you perform activities in everyday life more easily. The human body performs many movements throughout the day to do the basic tasks we take for granted, such as getting dressed, standing up from a chair, loading the dishwasher or climbing the stairs. It is generally considered that there are seven basic movements the human body can perform to allow us to do these tasks. These movements are pulling, pushing, squatting, lunging, hinging (bending), rotation and walking. These movements form the basis of all other exercises. Traditional exercises generally work on one or two muscle groups at a time where you strengthen isolated muscles. However, our bodies are designed to work in a co-ordinated fashion to achieve day to day tasks, therefore functional exercises aim to work on groups of muscles working together.  

When you perform any of the seven basic movements, you stimulate all of the major muscle groups in your body. Functional exercises are aimed at mirroring these basic movements and use the whole body movements incorporating multiple muscles and emphasize core strength, stability and control of movements.

Functional exercises are particularly helpful in in the latter stages of your rehabilitation to allow you to gain strength and endurance in your day to day activities, help with return to work, leisure or sporting activities.

At MOTIONrehab we have specially trained clinicians that will prescribe a functional exercise programme bespoke to you to address your difficulties identified at assessment.

The team will work with you to specifically to train your muscles to be able to perform and control the common movements you need to do at home, at work or in sports. While using various muscles in the upper and lower body at the same time, functional fitness exercises also emphasize core stability, improves balance and function.

For more information about how MOTIONrehab can help with Functional Exercise, please call the MOTIONrehab Customer Services Team on 0800 8600 138 or email info@MOTIONrehab.co.uk